NOKIA 700 Pro Reviews

The 700 isn't perfect, but it's a reasonably likable phone. If you're app mad, then you'll want to avoid it. If you're looking for a good, solid phone, then it's probably idea. The screen is small though, so bear this in mind if you're a bit fat of finger. It is bright and detailed though, so there's little to worry about when it comes to interacting with the phone. The battery life is superb too, which will be important for the target audience, and the music player is a nice touch too. If nothing else, the 700 proves that Nokia is still a great brand, producing great hardware. Symbian is much improved these days, but it's still a little clunky, and the app situation is still something of a mess.

The fact that the smartphone basics are catered for mean the Nokia 700 has decent functionality. However, it may be that bit too small to pass muster as a usable handset, and Symbian 10.1 feels distinctly hampered by a lack of third-party app support.

We are quite pleased with the Nokia 700's compact design - the handset is very easy to handle and a pleasure to look at in one of its many colors. People who frown at the huge smartphones of today will definitely find its size appealing. Symbian Belle is a big step up over its predecessors, taking away the right pages from the other mobile operating systems like resizable widgets, a pull-down notification bar and connectivity switches, but lacking in 3rd party apps. We also liked that the phone supports oddball frequencies like T-Mobile in the US, plus the call quality is very good. What we didn't like were the pictures and especially video – not that we expected much from the 5MP fixed-focus shooter, but some results were appalling in the focus and detail department.. The Nokia 700 has a close rival with the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray, which is very similar in design and compactness, but carries an 8MP autofocus camera, supports Flash and has the power of Android behind it, not to mention the high pixel density. Besides, it runs for almost the same price as the Nokia 700, so there aren't many reasons not to pick the Xperia ray, unless you are an AMOLED display aficionado or dying to play with NFC . For alternatives with a larger screen in fairly compact devices around the same price point you can look at the Samsung Galaxy W or the Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, which are with 3.7” displays, better cameras, and have the wonders of Adobe Flash and Android Market in reach.

So, the Nokia 700 is small. It's in no mood though to lie low and wait for the Windows Phones to foot the bill. No sir, the Nokia 700 will earn its keep. While Nokia are still honeymooning with Microsoft, it's good old Symbian holding the fort. Two things. It's good old Symbian but not quite. Forget about old. Since Belle, the OS is no longer living in the past. Secondly, the Nokia 700 is small in stature only. Full of character. The Belle update is to Symbian what a reboot is to a PC that’s been acting up. Fluid and efficient, the OS is more than the sum of its parts. With a proper notification area, flat menu structure and better handling of widgets, Symbian Belle won’t be embarrassed anymore by comparisons with Android. It’s the good looks and the overall feel though that make a massive difference.

All in all, it's a lovely phone for someone who wants to dip in and out of smart phone capabilities without losing either the phone element or most of their pocket space. It's a discreet smartphone, one for a businessperson perhaps, who doesn't want to pull out an obnoxiously large piece of kit every time they want to make a call. It may even appeal to those who are newer to smartphones and aren't looking for the latest dual-core processor but want something decently powerful for their videos and browsing nonetheless.

In short, the Nokia 700 occupies a spot in-between featurephone and smartphone, both in Nokia’s own line-up and the market as a whole. If your priorities are staying connected without staying tethered to a mains socket, making occasional forays onto the web and all in something that won’t dominate your pocket or purse, then the Nokia 700 could well be the first Symbian device we’d suggest you consider.

With a top-quality Gorilla Glass screen and part-metal build, the Nokia 700 instantly feels like a top-quality device. The display carries this on too, using a great AMOLED panel. Sure, it's a smaller phone than many but hardware wise it almost seems surprising how you can get this handset for free on contracts well under £20 a month. However, all becomes clear when using the phone as it's limited by the constraints of Symbian. The new Belle update significantly ups the aesthetic ante, with the system now looking a lot better than it ever has before, but looks alone can't cover up the relative lack of apps. There are thousands, but the hit rate is even worse than it is on Android. This is one of the most desirable Nokias in quite some time, but buying it comes with a compromise or two.